History

Even Worse Than We Thought

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Traditional estimates of Civil War deaths have been too low:

Hacker says the war’s dead numbered about 750,000, an estimate that’s 20 percent higher than the commonly cited figure of 620,000. His findings will be published in December in the journal Civil War History.

“The traditional estimate has become iconic,” Hacker says. “It’s been quoted for the last hundred years or more. If you go with that total for a minute — 620,000 — the number of men dying in the Civil War is more than in all other American wars from the American Revolution through the Korean War combined. And consider that the American population in 1860 was about 31 million people, about one-tenth the size it is today. If the war were fought today, the number of deaths would total 6.2 million.”

Difficult to imagine.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

Obama’s Fascist Economy

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Observations over at The American Thinker:

A key characteristic of the reality of fascist thinking is rampant cronyism and corruption. Certain capitalists, wishing to ingratiate themselves with the state, are willing to fund the election of those in power in exchange for favorable government contracts and avoidance of regulatory wrath. Recently, much of Wall Street, Hollywood, the unions, major companies such as General Electric, and the super-wealthy such as Warren Buffett are willing to sleep with those in power and be used as props in any propaganda campaign initiated by the Obama regime.

The Obama administration has, through the Justice Department and other agencies, behaved exactly as many quasi-fascist regimes in the past — almost all of whom have been governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect themselves and their friends from accountability.

The term “fascism” has been redefined by the horrendous acts of Mussolini and Hitler, actions spurred by their megalomania and nationalism. However, the economic philosophy that is fascism is alive and well and being pursued in the United States by those whose desire it is to control the people of the country and reinforce their domestic power base, not to conquer the world. Yet the pursuit of the same tenets that motivated Franklin Roosevelt has prolonged and exacerbated the current economic disaster facing the United States.

Sadly, the crony capitalism inherent in the Senate Launch System is part of it. It’s bipartisan.

Political Commentary

Corruption In The Drug War?

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This is just shocking:

Dutton and Gonzales said small aircraft regularly drop drug loads on ranches or other properties along the U.S.-Mexico border, and that some U.S. law officers escort the loads to the next stop.

The two whistle-blowers said that drug cartels have managed to obtain computer access codes to U.S. surveillance systems that let them see where and when Border Patrol agents are monitoring the border.

They also alleged that drug cartels have given big donations to politicians, which are unreported, to influence appointments of key law enforcement officers.

Why, it’s almost as though outlawing non-coercive personal activity makes it more lucrative and inherently corrupting.

[Update a while later]

The death toll in Mexico as a result of “Fast and Furious” is now up to two hundred. Really, this was an act of war.

[Update a few minutes later]

As the body count grows, so does the cover up:

After reiterating that every law enforcement agent that has been asked about Operation Fast and Furious has said that there is no way that it could have been a viable law enforcement operation, I asked Chairman Issa if there was any evidence of another reason for the implementation of Operation Fast and Furious and the other alleged gun-walking operations.

“This was dumb, it was useless, and it was lethal,” was the soundbite most of us will take away from the call in answer to that question, but his longer answer — which I regret I do not have a transcript of — is far more telling.

Nothing in his response could be construed to mean that Rep. Issa thought Operation Fast and Furious was a legitimate law enforcement operation. And if it does not appear to have been implemented as a legitimate law enforcement operation, then we are left with the possible alternative that the goal of the operation was both illegitimate and unlawful.

Issa put it rather bluntly: “The administration wanted to show that guns found in Mexico came from the United States.”

Even if they had to deliver them themselves.

Business, Economics, Humor, Political Commentary

Compassionate Conservatism

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Frank J. takes pity on politicians:

I have to admit: I laughed the first time Obama said he was going to “pivot to jobs.” And the second time. And the third time. But by the sixth time, it was getting pretty sad.

And when he proposed his new “jobs bill,” he was so earnest about it that I found myself rooting for the poor guy. It’s just a desperate mishmash of ideas — like he knows that one button on the keyboard starts a program, so he’s going to mash all of them with his palm — and as funny as it is, I’m starting to worry that his blundering like this is getting in the way of people who actually do create jobs (namely, business owners and such).

So this has gone on long enough. I know some people don’t feel any sympathy for the politicians; much like reality-show contestants, they selected themselves for this mockery. Still, this is no way to treat fellow human beings or even lawyers.

Plus, what if eventually the politicians become so frustrated that one of them says, “I have a brilliant idea! Let’s drop an atomic bomb on our own country! The rebuilding it will require will create lots of jobs! We’ll call it the ‘Nuclear Deal.’” It wouldn’t even be their dumbest idea. (Actually, has anyone read through Obama’s entire proposal yet to make sure that’s not in there?)

That would be the Paul Krugman plan.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!